So we have had boomer for 5 days. Based on what i have noticed about him I think we have saved his life. I think Boomer is showing signs of MBD. He was a "lazy old guy" at 4 years. He was pretty lethargic, not really following you with his eyes too much. Not tipping his head much at you.

So I started watching him, noticed a bump on the base of his tail (now its two symptoms) So we started watching for any twitching. Sure enough, he was twitching his tail a bit near the bump.

We had him at this point for 3 days. Everyone recommends ReptiSun for them so i grabbed one. Unfortunately, i couldn't get the T5. Had to get the T8. He cannot get within 8 inches of it from any angle. We also got rid of some of the stuff from his cage so he can move around more. (inb4 sand its siliconed to the tank i found out)

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First thing he did was go as dark as he can go on top and just basked. Less than 2 hrs later under the new fixture installed today (day 5) he is full of piss and vinegar. Bombing around his tank. Surfing the wall. Jumping around. Like a different lizard. Then we noticed a slightly worse tremor on his tail, it then stopped. He slowed down a bit and went back to basking for a few hours Its now been 6 hrs and he hasn't been twitching his tail at all and is paying WAY more attention. Tipping his head to look at you. Eating his greens like they are going out of style.

Is this a normal response to a new UVB fixture if he is deficient? He got his crickets yesterday coated in the D3/Calc powder iv'e also found a couple of vet options however one is an hour drive. One of my local clinic's brings specialists in every month and we have made an appointment.

Thanks again for all the information everyone, without this resource i probably wouldn't have been able to give him the husbandry he requires. Is there anything else we should be doing otherwise to help him until he can get into the vet?

Bless him, it sounds like he sure perked up though with a new UVB light. Just glancing at thetube bulb, is there a fixture surrounding it, to help direct it downward more towards him?I am glad to hear it is helping though & he is seemingly feeling better. It is a pretty normal typeof response for them to perk up pretty quickly. I hope he makes a full recovery for you. Do you have any pictures of him we could see?Keep us posted on him!

[Click image to enlarge]Tonight hanging out. 7 hrs on with the new setup. The bulb is just in a basic fixture, his tank is only a 13 inch vertical depth, should i get a housing to direct it? [Click image to enlarge]This was day two, he had some strawberry mess on his face. By this point we had already replaced his previous reptiglow 150W UVB spot and he seemed to be happy. We started proping it up on the edge of his cage allowing direct light after reading about how much the mesh stops it. [Click image to enlarge]First night he was here. [Click image to enlarge]In this one you can see the bump I am talking about. Along with the shed he had when he came. I was going to take video of the twitch at some point but I honestly hope I never see it again. If I notice it i will try and grab a shot of it. Today he shed his nostril, it looked like a hilarious booger. They really get in there when they are rubbing the shed off. I could pull him out for a few minutes and grab some better pictures.

Hi there, good job with your new dragon ! A few twitches of the tail is usually not a sign of a problem so don't be too worried. Just feed + supplement him properly and he'll be good. If it gets warm where you live take him out in the sun for the superior rays.

Boomer looks really good, great stature & colors, too. Personally, even if the twitch doesn't indicate anything serious, I would recommend getting atube bulb fixture with reflective backing to direct the UVB downward towards him, yes. It willhelp ensure that he does receive enough UVB from it. I hope that he is settling in well for you now!

Am I reading it correctly? You say he can not get within 8 inches of the new t8 bulb? With it not having a reflector and also not being able to get close enough to it I would highly recommend getting a t5. Is the problem with getting it not finding it instore? I have never been able to find either the fixture or the bulbs in-store and have always had to order them online.

Yes the package warned that he is not to get within 6 inches of the bulb for some reason so i made sure he couldn't get too close.

Built a reflector for him. Energy levels are still rising. He is doing a ton of jumping and stuff now. He eats a ton. Loves blueberries arugula and his squash. But its the crickets i'm not sure about. last protein day he ate 23. I thought they weren't supposed to be into that many at his age but he was.

Iv'e only seen the twitch twice since the new bulb went in. Iv'e noticed his musculature is looking better. Theres now definition in the muscles running down his spine. We have been taking him out daily and letting him explore, seems to enjoy that. We have also been bathing him frequently. He likes to poop in the bath.

Poops have been good every 2-3 days. Only seen diareah twice. First was right after he came second was within that first week.

He seems to be able to go darker now than before. Still goes very light when he is happy. Looking forward to taking him outside when it gets a bit warmer, still much too cold here to take him out side.

He just keeps improving, Also in the last week his IR bulb died so it got replaced with a ceramic heater. I also got a proper zoomed temp propbe, ensuring his basking spot gets up to 100 degrees.

Good to hear how active he is, he's doing well and is in pretty good condition. The uvb bulb placement is fine, you never need a bulb to be 6" to be effective when it's actually in the tank. He's good.